One of the most powerful Tibetan Buddhist mind training techniques is universalizing, a practice that transforms everyday pains and pleasures into profound meditations. From arguing with the family to stuffing yourself with a delicious meal, life’s problems and pleasures can bring anger, guilt, and sadness. The meditation technique of “universalization” transform our everyday experiences of pleasure and pain into engines of love and compassion.Episode 31. Universalizing: Transforming Pain and...

Universalizing: Transforming Pain and Pleasure into Love and Compassion

A Skeptic’s Path to Enlightenment brings the inner science of Buddhist philosophy and meditation to twenty-first century people hungry for happy, meaningful lives. In our weekly podcast, we share talks, guided meditations, and interviews exploring happiness, love, compassion, relationships, family, politics, technology, and work. Skeptic’s Path explores powerful "analytical meditation" techniques that use imagination, emotions, and critical inquiry to probe our inner and outer realities and expand our compassion based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. We expand on the popular mindfulness approach to meditation to help us better understand our minds from the inside out, building healthy mental habits that are the true causes of happiness.

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A meditation practice of self reflection, taking control of the mental cause and effect that's normally unconscious: the habits and activities conditioned by evolution, our upbringing, society and the media. This is a practice you can do at the end of each day: reviewing your day, rejoicing in the positive, and finding ways to sincerely forgive yourself for anything that you regret, so you can sleep better and be your best self the next day.Episode 12: Guided Meditation—Mental Cause And Effec...

Guided Meditation—Mental Cause and Effect [rebroadcast]

Science has greater and greater mastery in understanding and controlling physical cause and effect, from planets to particles, but we are only starting to understand cause and effect in our minds. Evolution, habits, and society all affect our behavior. How do we gain conscious control of our behavior, much less our thoughts? One method is a daily practice of self-appreciation and self-forgiveness that lets us release regret and pain to face each day with renewed presence and joy.Episode 11: M...

Mental Cause and Effect [rebroadcast]

Yangsi Rinpoche's gave a beautiful talk a couple of months ago with the intriguing title "Contentment Plus Ambition." He was generous enough to sit down with me afterwards for an interview about the same topic in which he talks about how to practice real self-compassion and even how we can create the causes for world peace. Yangsi Rinpoche studied at Sera Jey Monastery in south India until 1995 when he graduated with the highest degree of Geshe Lharampa. Rinpoche now lives in Portland, O...

Contentment and Ambition with Yangsi Rinpoche

Restorative justice practitioner sujatha baliga talks to Scott Snibbe about his new meditation book, How to Train a Happy Mind.Episode 159: sujatha baliga & Scott Snibbe in conversation: How to Train a Happy MindWe’ve just launched a new online community where Scott Snibbe leads weekly live meditations for the topics  shared in our podcast and How to Train a Happy Mind book. Anyone is welcome to join for free or by donation. Visit our new community website at trainahappymind.org...

sujatha baliga & Scott Snibbe in conversation: How to Train a Happy Mind

A guided meditation on impermanence that helps us release fear and anxiety to embrace the constant change at every scale of reality: from particles, possessions, homes, and the environment, to our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, and relationships. When we embrace impermanence, we more easily take on challenges like today’s Coronavirus crisis. We become more fully present to those around us and we can even more deeply appreciate life’s impermanent pleasures.Episode 10. Guided Meditation -...

Universalizing: Transforming Pain and Pleasure into Love and Compassion

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